missed meals

[Nicole Shank]

Nicole Shank

June 21, 2004 at 12:34 pm #19866

Hi all, I am going to be gone for a day or two next week and am wondering, is it OK for Shelby (my baby dbt) to miss a day of feeding? I can get someone in to feed her; the problem is that she’s so tiny, and I have trouble trusting people to pick her up and feed her outside the tank. I’m afraid if they just drop food in the tank it will rot and make her sick. What do you suggest? Thanks! Nicole Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete – You start. We finish.

[Jonathan Helms]

Jonathan Helms

June 21, 2004 at 6:24 pm #19867

Hi Nicole, I am sure she will be just fine missing a day or two of food. Jonathan http://www.diamondbackterrapin.com — In diamondbackterrapins@yahoogroups.com, Nicole Shank

[Todd Stockwell]

Todd Stockwell

June 21, 2004 at 8:54 pm #19868

There’s no problem with a healthy turtle missing meals for a day, or two, or even more. From my own experience, guest keepers tend to way over feed and foul the water causing far more problems than are needed. While it is highly desirable to get hatchlings feeding well as soon as possible and to feed them twice per day to get strong growth established, hatchlings do go without abundant (or any food) for a while in the wild. Some overwinter in their nests and don’t emerge and eat until the following spring. So, your hatchling could actually go days or even weeks without food, although I’m certainly NOT recommending it. Enjoy your trip. Shelby will be begging when you return and give you a guilt trip anyway :-). ToddNicole Shank

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